The alumni of the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University have denied reports that doctorate degrees awarded by the institution are not research-based and, therefore, not acceptable for teaching.

A recent publication on some news websites said a staff audit of the technical universities conducted by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) exposed anomalies in the teaching and administrative procedures in some institutions.

According to the Daily Graphic, the report, dated 21 December 2018, revealed, for instance, that most lecturers, especially those in the Schools of Business, had been teaching without relevant background, with some holding Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees acquired through online courses, which is against the regulations of the NCTE.

“Some lecturers have either Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica or doctorate in Finance from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University and the University of Central Nicaragua. These are non-research doctorates and are not acceptable for teaching.

“Some lecturers also have PhDs awarded by the University of Central Nicaragua on the basis of the DBA awarded by the SMC. This arrangement for the award of PhDs is not acceptable and such qualifications should not be accepted for teaching as well,” the report stated.

Reacting to the allegation, members of the SMC University Alumni Association in Ghana said doctorate degrees awarded by SMC University are research-based and are relevant for teaching in any higher institution in Ghana and abroad.

In a statement, the association said the doctorate degrees awarded by SMC University has been evaluated by the National Accreditation Board to be equivalent to any Doctorate degree in Ghana.

The association has, therefore, called on the general public to treat the purported audit report as an unsavoury act which lacks basic and globally accepted audit norms in academia and the corporate world.

Below is the full statement:

LAPSES IN LECTURERS’ QUALIFICATIONS EXPOSED

We have noted with regret the inaccuracies in the recent front-page publication by the Daily Graphic on the above subject. The publication dated February 4, 2019, purported to have been reported from the recent academic audit conducted by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) which exposed anomalies in the teaching and administrative procedures in Ghana’s Technical Universities.

The purported publication and report singled out Doctorate degrees awarded by the SMC University and specifically described them as non-research degrees. This rejoinder seeks to clarify issues misrepresented by the reporter and the false assertion meant to discredit the integrity of SMC University Alumni members.

The SMC Alumni Association would like to assure our employers and the general public that doctorate degrees awarded by SMC University are research-based and are relevant for teaching in any higher institution in Ghana and abroad. It is worthy to note that prior to enrolment, our members sought verification on the credibility of SMC first from the National Accreditation Board (NAB), “the regulatory institute established by law to determine equivalences and credibility of academic institutions and degrees in Ghana”.

It is further instructive to note that, the Doctorate degrees awarded by SMC University has been evaluated by the National Accreditation Board to be equivalent to any Doctorate degree in Ghana (See Appendix 1). Over the years the National Accreditation Board of Ghana has affirmed the integrity of SMC University as a globally recognized institution with enviable success in academic and operative integrity.

As law-abiding stakeholders in education, the SMCU Alumni Association (Ghana branch) have several hard-working Ghanaians contributing our quota in academia, banking, security, parliament, and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy. In view of this unethical assertion by the auditors deployed by NCTE, the National Executive Committee of the SMC Association had initiated a meeting with the National Council for Tertiary Education to discuss the purported findings of the academic audit report.

On behalf of the proud Alumni of the SMC University in Ghana, I wish to call on the general public to treat the purported audit report as an unsavory act which lacks basic and globally accepted audit norms in academia and the corporate world. As great ambassadors of our University, graduates will continue to contribute our quota towards the development of this country.

Dr. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor

National President

SMC University Alumni Association, Ghana


Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM